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Report Faults MTA For Subway Service Disruptions In NYC

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NEW YORK (CBSNewyork/AP) — New York City subway riders know maintaining the system’s 660 miles of track involves frequent service disruptions at night and on weekends.

But a joint report released Sunday by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and New York City Comptroller John Liu says the MTA, the agency that runs the subways, should do a better job of managing disruptions and keeping straphangers informed.

“For at least seven or eight years in a row, it’s merry Christmas, happy New Year, now your 7 train is going to be shut down for the next three months,” said Liu. “It’s a consistent frustration that riders and business owners have had to suffer through for too long.”

Auditors also faulted the MTA for not posting enough signs alerting riders to disruptions.

DiNapoli said MTA projects always start late and end early and management is wasting millions. “When the MTA fails to manage its service diversions properly, it’s more than an inconvenience; it’s a waste of taxpayer money,” DiNapoli said.

Auditors reviewed 15 diversions with a budget of nearly $142 million. DiNapoli says four of those contracts went over budget by a combined $26.6 million.

The MTA says the cost increases may be due to field conditions and other work, and says the agency is working on making full use of each diversion.

Does the MTA have a problem with keeping riders informed about disruptions? Sound off in our comments section below…

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